


Of Course

by endemictoearth



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: F/M, I Love You
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7067791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endemictoearth/pseuds/endemictoearth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ficlet based on a first line prompt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Course

“Of course I love you.”

The words hang there, in the air, like they’re written in a speech bubble. He could probably walk around them and see them printed backwards.

There was no ‘of course’ about it, as far as he was concerned. “You’ve never said so before,” he mumbled, looking down at his palms as his thumbs ran laps across his fidgety fingers.

“But—“ she stops herself, sinking down in her chair at the realization. “I haven’t, have I?”

“Trust me, I would’ve remembered.” His eyes flash up to see her face sinking along with her posture.

He does. Remember. It’s uncanny how thoughtful he is when it comes to her. They watched Groundhog Day on telly once, and when they got to the “No white chocolate, no fudge” scene, she’d ribbed him about how he must have a list of of what she liked and didn’t like. He just tapped his right temple and squinted a smile. “It’s all up here.”

He’s told her he loves her nine times. Well, nine times with words. She always receives the sentiment with pleasure, even enthusiasm. Thanking him, or smiling and reaching over to caress his shoulder or kiss his cheek. She never freezes or blanches or leaves. He’s very happy she doesn’t leave.

But never saying it back before seemed to mean something. Finn often tried to think what. Did she not believe him? Did she think he was exaggerating? Was she stringing him along until she left Stamford for good?

Most of the time he doesn’t worry too much. She shows him she cares in other ways: she brings him dinner at the shop if he’s working late; she holds his hand all the way through the old horror movies that he only watches because she likes them; she seems to have a psychic ability to tell when things are getting on top of him and makes him stop and listen to records for a while.

“I know it’s terrible. Every time you say it, I want to say it back, but … we don’t say that much at my house. I didn’t hear it a lot, an’ it sometimes feels like too big a thing. Like, I might feel it, I feel it so MUCH, but saying it … that’s another kettle of fish.”

Finn nods at that, though a frown pulls at his mouth.

“It’s like … ‘I love you’ was always the thing we said to apologize for something. I know it’s different when you say it … you seem to be able to say those words so easy, and they’re just … not, not for me. Not easy, I mean.”

“You could’ve told me before … I don’t wanna make you feel weird.”

“You don’t! I don’t want you to _stop_ saying it; I want to _start_ saying it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”


End file.
